File Photo – Lehtikuva.
There is a significant amount of direct and indirect election money hidden in Finland, reports a Municipal Development Foundation study.
The study found disclosure regulations do not apply to a significant number of parties involved in campaigning. For example, the use of funds by municipal organisations, political parties, and various youth and educational organisations and interest groups during elections remains partly hidden.
According to the study, the less supervised support groups are used for election finances to avoid regulations and donation limits.
For example, political parties funnelled more than 10 million euros through municipal organisations during the 2012 elections. The majority of the money remained, according to the study, hidden.
